Looking For Angels

Album: Comatose (2006)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • In a world where it's easier to communicate than ever, people are having more trouble connecting with each other on a personal level. John Cooper, lead vocalist of Skillet, blames this on the "Kingdom of Self," saying we've become so wrapped up in our own individual agendas we've forgotten how to make meaningful relationships, a concept he explores on this track.

    "It seems to me people are connecting less then when I was younger except there are more forms of communication now, in that it's all impersonal. All this massive technology that we have accomplished but we are really reaching out to one another less and less. And I think the American Dream is a little bit to blame for that, that it's all about me and that it's all about my money and the kingdom of . . . me," he told Utah State University's Hard News Cafe. "I think that's the message. Yes, the world is getting darker but there is hope and why don't you be a part of the solution to someone else and you just might find that when you begin to reach out to someone else that you don't feel so lonely."
  • Cooper also says the song aims to help people, particularly the younger generation of listeners, find a ray of hope in a dark world. "There is just so much darkness in the world and so much evil and depression. That song really kinda lists everything from wars to senseless violence, to racism, to drug abuse, to internet pornography, in the whole thing. There's so much going on, you can kinda look around and it's easy to ask yourself the question, 'Is this ever going to OK? Is there anything in life worth living for?' I hope the people find, in our music, maybe a little bit of peace to those questions. And 'Looking for Angels,' has a little bit of a twist which is not just yes there is hope but also like, 'What are you going to do to make this world a better place, to help someone who is needy.'"

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.

David Sancious

David SanciousSongwriter Interviews

Keyboard great David Sancious talks about his work with Sting, Seal, Springsteen, Clapton and Aretha, and explains what quantum physics has to do with making music.

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"Songwriter Interviews

Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."

How The Beatles Crafted Killer Choruses

How The Beatles Crafted Killer ChorusesSong Writing

The author of Help! 100 Songwriting, Recording And Career Tips Used By The Beatles, explains how the group crafted their choruses so effectively.

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular Music

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular MusicSong Writing

Starting in Virginia City, Nevada and rippling out to the Haight-Ashbury, LSD reshaped popular music.

Dar Williams

Dar WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.